The Next Day
by thegarbler
Summary: What happens over the summer after Landon and Jamie's marriage? Hopes and dreams are built, in spite of fear of tragedy. One-shot at the moment. Rated M for slight sexual content and language.


**A/N: Ah, what the hell. I saw the movie a few weeks ago, and this idea popped into my head. I browsed the archives to see if any decent WtR stories were around that chronicled the summer after they married, and saw that there were none. Also, this is one of the few times I've ever written romance, so I thought I'd give it a crack. It's super short, and, at the moment, is merely a one-shot, unless you guys want me to write a full story for it.

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The Next Day

A Walk to Remember Fanfiction

They say that a man's most treasured memory is that of their first car; that there is some sort of special connection between a man and their machine, a hunk of metal that is nothing but moving parts and gasoline fumes. Others agree that a man must remember the first time he was with a girl. Or simply his wedding day. Or, if he is lucky enough, the birth of his first child.

Perhaps if things had gone differently, I too would remember the birth of my first child. But my most treasured memories aren't those of my first car, or girlfriend or even wedding. No, what lingers on my mind isn't a single event or possession. It's a whole summer that will stay with me for the rest of my life. The summer of 2002, in fact – the only summer that I ever spent with my wife before she passed.

We were married on the cusp of summer, May 29th, if I do recall. Jamie Elizabeth Sullivan stood in front of me, no longer the shy girl that I first knew her as – rather, she was a full-grown woman, sure of herself, and absolutely in love. Not that I was any different. Her father married us.

I still remember that moment when we both said our vows, and he looked straight at me and asked, "Do you, Landon Rollins Carter, take Jamie Elizabeth Sullivan as your lawfully wedded wife?"

It was the only moment that I took my eyes off Jamie, and looked him straight back in the eyes before saying, "I do."

He nodded approvingly, testing my mettle to the very end, and probably telling himself _"Landon. You'll do."_

It wasn't easy winning him over, but in the end I guess my determination to be with his daughter is what convinced the good Reverend to allow me to start a relationship with Jamie.

I looked back at my bride-to-be, and my breath once again hitched in my throat. I swear, even if she had lived to be seventy, she would still take the air from my lungs away every time I gazed upon her flawless skin. It shone pale, like moonlight, and was soft as velvet as her hands gently yielded to my touch. She met my stare with one of her own, and I could see it, right there, _love _for me even as she mouthed those three beautiful words to me.

"I love you", I mouthed back, and she grinned that dazzling, perfect smile. My heart melted, and I fell in love with her all over again.

She said her own vows, and I barely heard when Mr. Sullivan said, "You may now kiss the bride". In fact, I don't remember my friends and family standing up and clapping for us. I don't remember the gentle clap on the back from my father-in-law, the loving smile both mom and dad had for me.

All I remember was Jamie's soft lips upon mine. Our bodies molded together as we kissed, and I held her for a full ten seconds before finally relenting and ending the kiss. Still though, she pressed her head into the crook of my shoulders, and I stroked her hair gently. I leaned down and whispered into her ear,

"Now, for the rest of our lives together"

She smiled a sort of miserable ironic half-smile, but nonetheless, she sighed a sigh of contentment and whispered back, "Any life with you is worth living. Never leave me, Landon"

"Never."

Smiling broadly now, our short moment of intimacy ended, and I held her gentle skin, our fingers interlacing automatically as they had done hundreds of times, as we turned to the assembly. Her sad smile was replaced was replaced by a fuller one, showing her beautiful teeth to the world, and forming cute little dimples on her flushed face. Once again, I found myself struggling to believe that this was happening. It was too perfect, it was like a dream!

I know a silly little grin of my own found its place on my face, and the congregation's claps doubled in their fervor as we stood in front of them, no longer a boy and his girlfriend, but a man and his wife. From then on, things became a blur. It was one wild spin from friends to family. I know Eric was there, and he enveloped me in a bear hug only a brother could properly do, and I know we were both sobbing during it.

"I love you, man. Don't _ever _forget that, bro", he managed out between tears.

I couldn't ask for a better friend. No, I couldn't ask for a better brother.

Or a better wife, for that matter. Mom and Dad surrounded me with hugs and kisses and tears of their own. Mom was hysterical, and between I-love-you's and you're-all-grown-up's she squeezed me tight. Even my dad, whom I was still sometimes apprehensive towards, encircled me with his arms, and surprisingly, I found myself hugging back desperately.

But it was all over eventually. There, each aspect of my life hugged and said goodbye to, and there, my wife – my future – ready to be loved till the end of my days. It was weird, seeing friends and family that had, until then, been the number one relationships in my life, being subtly shifted to the backseat as Jamie moved up to be the absolute most important person in my life.

Looking at her in that wedding gown, her hair cascading down her back behind the veil, I couldn't resist myself. I totally lost it. I let loose a shout, I turned my head to the heavens and bellowed out a single note of ecstatic joy and happiness. That continued for a moment, and I lifted my arms up appraising whoever it was up there – _God himself maybe – _for this day. I laughed, I cried, I went through a whole storm of emotions, and I swept Jamie off her feet. She laughed along with me, that angelic tinkling bubble of happiness and we kissed once more, a long, full, _proper _kiss. Our lips came alive, and not only were are bodies pressed together, but now our very souls became one, and I knew that I was now the living example of Jamie's mother's quote, "_A single being living in two different bodies."_

Ten, twenty, thirty heartbeats went by before we finally parted. Audience be damned, we stood there, a topaz sun exploding in light above our heads in the church's front yard. The sky was the bluest of blues, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky to be seen.

_The church where her mother was married, _I thought with satisfaction.

That was number one on her list of things to do.

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I can't really give the moment justice, but the ride back to our home was indescribable. Absolutely incredible. The reception had come and passed, the bright sun had given away to a dark sky, and a limo had been arranged by my father to take us to our new house after the party. It was perfect. It even had the cans strung to the end of the car. I laughed at that.

It was dark as we drove through the town's streets, and Jamie had settled into my arms. Her slender body was perfectly nestled into my own body, and she had allowed her hair to fall into its customary bangs. She was the cutest thing. She really was.

"Landon…" she began, her soft voice barely breaking the quiet of the limo. The privacy screen was all the way up.

"Yeah?" My voice was definitely a touch louder than hers. My God, she was so gentle.

"I'm… Really nervous about tonight"

I instantly knew what she was talking about.

Wedding Night.

I both wanted it desperately, but was infinitely anxious. I knew I wasn't a virgin. But Jamie certainly was. She was nervous about not being able to live up to my – her own – expectations.

I stroked her face gently before answering.

"Don't worry about it, babe. I _love _you. And nothing is going to change that"

I looked down straight at her face before continuing.

"You're the only women I've ever truly wanted. Don't worry about tonight. Nothing you can do could possibly ruin this night for me."

She smiled at me and whispered, "Oh Landon…"

Her smile was angelic, and we said nothing more on the drive home. It was magical, her small, gentle frame leaning against my bigger and stronger one. It was a moment I never wanted to end.

But it did eventually. The limo rolled in front of a house on the smaller side of medium-sized, but was nonetheless handsome and cozy. We had found it just weeks before the wedding and had quickly bought it. It wasn't like we were going to stay in it forever – but it was certainly going to be the house in my memories of my marriage, and my retirement home.

I tipped the limo driver, took Mrs. Carter's hand, and we walked to the door. I was suddenly seized by the impulse to sweep my wife off her feet, which I didn't hesitate to do, earning a squeak of surprise from Jamie, before she relaxed, smiled, and dug her face into my shoulder. She kissed the side of my neck. Her breath tickled my face.

"Ready to begin the rest of your life, Mrs. Carter?" I said, half-teasingly.

"Only if I get to live it with you," she said, and quickly stretched up and kissed me.

I opened the door and stepped inside.

The house itself was just as cozy on the inside as it looked on the outside. We hadn't really finished moving our things in just yet, and boxes littered what was now our living room.

_Our _living room.

_Our _house.

_My _wife.

I grinned to myself, thinking myself the luckiest man alive. I certainly didn't deserve this, but I had everything I wanted. Maybe God really did exist?

Jamie, still in my arms, caught my spontaneous smile.

"Overwhelmed with emotion, are we, Landon?"

I looked down at her, my little angel. Tears threatened to well up in my eyes as I drank in her face. That cute little beauty mark on her face, the way her bottom lip just slightly pointed out from the top lip. Her scent was intoxicating.

"God, Jamie. I love you."

The words came out with the same passion that had come out when I said those words for the first time, on that first date on the docks. In fact, I don't think it was possible for me to say those words without putting my heart on my sleeve.

"Landon… Take me upstairs. I want you right now," she said, gently caressing my face.

I didn't even put her down. I ran up the stairs as fast as I possibly could. She was still clutching tightly to me as we made love. I was soft and gentle at first, but it wasn't long before we lost ourselves to passion.

Her body became a violin in my hands, and as we reached the highest peaks together, it was as if I was rising up to a crescendo before crashing down to the earth in a burst of ecstasy.

I clutched Jamie tightly to my chest, her brown hair pressed softly against my face and I whispered little nothings into her ear. I said I thought her perfect, I said that I would never leave her side. I told her that she was the most beautiful woman in the world; I told her she was the only one for me. Just before I lost her to sleep, I told her I loved her.

Then we slept.

* * *

The next morning came even faster than I thought it would. Not that I cared. I made love to my wife once more, and as we basked in the afterglow, holding each other and facing each other on the pillows. She was the first to break the silence.

"That was amazing, Landon"

I smiled, proud that I could satisfy my wife.

"It was. And this is only the first time, you know. You might get bored before you know it."

Now it was her turn to smile. She and I both knew that was never going to happen. She punched me playfully on the shoulder.

"Well… Now that I think about it, it _could _get old fast."

I smirked.

"Yeah, sure. In _that _case… I don't suppose you'll mind if I stop…"

Even if we were just kidding, her eyes widened in alarm.

"Relax, just kidding"

She laughed, that wonderful tinkling laugh. She unwrapped my arm from her body, and started to get up.

"Hey! Wher'you going?"

"Well, somebody's got to make breakfast, Carter," she said, slipping on her previously discarded nightgown.

Roughly, I pulled her arm down onto my chest. She squealed in surprise.

"One moment, Mrs. Carter. I don't think we're quite yet ready to get up yet. In fact – and I think you'll agree with me here – this might take a while," I said, and slipped the nightgown off just as easily as she slipped it on.

We took more than just a little while.

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When we finally deemed ourselves ready to exit the bedroom, we headed down into the kitchen. It went well with the whole theme of the house – small but cozy. Well, it was bigger than the kitchen in Jamie's house – she loved to cook – but it wasn't huge either. I helped her out with breakfast, because I'm cool like that.

She hummed to herself as she chopped vegetables. It was the craziest thing right then. We were both in the kitchen, not even saying a word to each other, and simply cooking, yet I felt more content than I had been in the longest while.

Jamie had her hair in a ponytail, and so concentrated was she on her task that she almost jumped when I walked over to her to put my hands on her hips and place a kiss on her cheek.

"Baby, I ever mention how much I love you?"

She smiled, knowingly.

"Me? Why ever would you love a simple reverend's daughter like me?"

"My goodness! Is Jamie Carter fishing for a compliment?"

She snuggled her head into my shoulder happily when I said Jamie _Carter._

"Maaaaybe…"

"Well, how about if I told you that you have the whitest soul, the purest heart? When you smile, it could bring me back from the dead. When you cry, I could choke myself. When I make love to you it's like the whole world could go up in flames, but I would still be fine, because I'm right there, with you."

She leaned up and allowed me a kiss. I lingered slightly when she began to pull away, and I nibbled gently on her cute lower lip. She laughed.

"Oh Carter. You crazy man, get back to cracking those eggs."

It seems crazy how damn normal the day was, you know? A whole summer we spent together and out all those memorable days, I think our first day together will be the one stuck the strongest in my head. I can still remember what we ate – cheese and veggie omelets. I remember that later we finished unpacking our stuff. I remember that we debated quickly over whether or not to start our summer homework. I still recall laughing privately with myself over the fact that I was barely out of my junior year of high school, and was already married. Funny how fate works, I guess.

We didn't really do nothing much that day. In fact, I can't really remember anything particularly special about it. We stayed at home, welcomes a few guests, talked about anything, went out for a movie, and that's pretty much it. To hell with days spent sitting out in the docks, watching the sun come down over the horizon; to hell with perfect dinners on perfect evenings. To hell with all that.

All I cared about was the fact that Jamie Sullivan-Carter would wake up the next day by my side, and then the next day after that, and then probably the next day after that.

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**Alright then, that's that. Let me know what you think in the reviews. I kind of like the whole story of the movie, and I'd like to properly flesh out what happens over the summer. That is, if you want me to write the whole story. Peace out, don't forget to review ;)**


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